Onsite and Offsite Backup – What is the Difference?

Deciding between an onsite and offsite backup solution does not come down to simply choosing where your backups are going to be stored. There are practical and security factors and considerations that should be taken into account when making your choice.

If you are curious about the difference, the pros & the cons of onsite and offsite backup solutions respectively, continue reading below. Would you rather let professionals decide what is best for you and your business? Call soma technology group on 1300 131 559 or get in touch online now. We are a leading managed services provider, and our team is standing by, ready to help you.

What are the Onsite Backup Benefits?

Onsite backup typically means using local media such as hard drives, optical storage (for example CDs, DVDs or Blu-Ray discs), magnetic tapes or other specialised backup equipment kept on premises. Storing data at your location makes it quick and easy for you to access it, gives you full control over what you use to store your files, and how your backup and restore processes will work in general. Since no internet connection is required, your data can be stored or retrieved even when connectivity is a problem, making it more reliable under certain circumstances. Onsite back ups can also be more resilient against cyber security threats since there is no internet connection involved.

What are the Onsite Backup Challenges?

While onsite backup solutions can be more resilient to outside cyberattacks carried out via the Internet, they are certainly more vulnerable to physical theft, accidental, intentional and even environmental damage (for example if your back up storage is destroyed by fire or flooding or by a clumsy employee). Backing up onsite is an ageing method of keeping your files secure – while you may be tempted to put more confidence in technology with a long legacy, you would be missing out on cutting edge solutions as well.

What are the Benefits of Offsite Backup?

The main benefits of offsite backup are the result of their remote nature. Cloud backups are usually stored in multiple copies at a number of data centres in different physical locations. So long as you have a working internet connection, you can always back your files up or retrieve them from the cloud. Data encryption also keeps your files secure from prying eyes and because no easily accessible physical media is involved, the possibility of theft is negligible.

What are the Disadvantages of Offsite Backup?

Just as with the benefits of offsite backup, their challenges also stem from their remote nature. The speed at which you can back up and recover your data, will directly depend on the bandwidth of your internet connection – if you have a lot of large files and a slow internet connection, the process may be frustrating. There are also costs involved since, typically, you will have to pay a provider a recurring fee for cloud storage space.

Onsite and Offsite Backup – How to Decide What’s Good for You?

As with most decision making, choosing between onsite and offsite backup will come down to your specific needs and circumstances. Depending on the situation in your business or organisation, either option may be equally viable.

Call soma technology group on 1300 131 559 or get in touch online now, and let our expert team help you make the right choice between onsite and offsite backup solutions to make sure that your business information is safe, secure and retrievable when you need it.